Hey! It’s Al… Did you know that some fulfillment, logistics, and warehousing firms now provide kitting services? Are you bundling your products together? Creating a custom box or kit? Well, it does not need to be done by your team any longer! Outsourcing kitting services do exist and can greatly benefit your business!
Perhaps you are not aware of kitting services or what they are? Offered by many third-party logistics companies today, this is a fulfillment service that can also be referred to as kitting and assembly. Single pieces are packaged together in this process. This is done before customers even order them, in many cases, but can be customized.
Kitting Lets You Focus on the Big Picture
The kitting process is time-consuming. Outsourcing kitting and fulfillment services will free up your time so that you can focus on growing your business. For example: Creating more products, marketing, and sales. As a business owner, there are always more important things to tackle than stuffing your own boxes. Nobody has a better understanding of the amount of work that goes into running a thriving business than you. By outsourcing your kitting services, your company increases its bandwidth for a more efficient workflow.
Outsourcing Kitting Services Can Save on Overhead Costs
Kitting services are typically performed on a per-unit basis. Prices are predictable, so you can budget accordingly because you estimate how much you’ll need to pay each year. Outsourcing your kitting also means you may be saving money internally because you won’t have to worry about the expenses and logistics of running kitting operations in your own space. If you’ve been using valuable space in your own facility for kitting, outsourcing means you’ll be able to use that space to expand your operations.
You Won’t Need to Hire In-House Staff or Temps for Kitting Services
On the topic of temps (temporary employees) … Yes, you can hire temps. But they are expensive, not always reliable, and not trained on your project. This leads to inaccuracies in your packaging, and additional costs for training and re-training. On the topic of in-house staff – they have more important work to do than stuffing boxes.
This is especially important for new or developing firms that need as many of their employees as possible working in other sections of their warehouse or facility. While growth is usually exciting, it may also bring its own set of problems. Outsourcing your kitting needs to an order fulfillment center like Alpaka saves time and money. Your team will be able to devote their time to business-specific duties. Duties that only you and your employees can handle! Meanwhile our team takes care of things like receiving goods, kitting packages together, documenting usage and tracking, inventory, and filling your orders.
Outsourcing Your Kitting Gives You Flexibility
Every business has slow and busy times, especially if the industry in which they work is seasonal. You know your business best and will know which seasons are busier than others. During peak periods, you’ll definitely need all hands on deck. Kitting warehouses are trained to handle a range of product flows. We possess the expertise needed to execute tasks seamlessly during this period. We know that even if the quantity changes, quality should not. Outsourcing your kitting provides you with much-needed peace of mind during the hectic times of a busy season. Trust that this service is being handled by a reliable kitting team so you can focus on keeping the rest of your operations running smoothly. Actively and carefully, we put it all together in real time.
Outsourcing Your Kitting Reduces Shipping Errors
Kitting professionals like our team at Alpaka are experienced at handling varying levels of demand (500 unit jobs to 500,000 unit jobs). But they are also knowledgeable about shipping and handling. Most kitting and fulfillment services are subsets of warehousing and transportation companies. We have a set process in place to make sure your goods are shipped to the right location, at the right time, and with the utmost care. Certain kitting warehouses also have the option for you to customize your packaging so it meets your standards of sizing and weight.
Who Uses Kitting Services?
By companies of all kinds and sizes, the implementation of kitting is used to save time, money, fulfill orders faster, create custom orders, improve customer experiences, and more. Though various industries throughout the world use kitting services, as a way of explanation, we are going to provide a few examples here…
- Marketing Materials and Paper Goods
Particularly for businesses with limited staff members or companies on the smaller side, it can be very time-consuming to put together large quantities of promotional materials, sales/training materials, folders, brochures, and other paper products. To compile and ship promotional products and other paper goods in bulk, these companies use third-party kitting services. This helps improve assembly speed and cuts down on labor costs in-house.
- Auto Parts
To make for more streamlined assembly and repair services, and to improve organization, the automotive industry also uses kitting. The Ford Motor Company, for example, uses this service to put together custom transmission repair kits. Into one cohesive package, multiple tools and small pieces are organized. For service technicians, these custom kits make accessing the tools they need easier, more efficient, and quick.
- Toys
The toy industry, to sell multiple items as sets and organize products, is well-known for the use of kitting. For model airplanes and Legos to board games and everything in between, in ready-to-ship kits, toys that may often be purchased together can be packed. Toy companies can speed up the picking/packing/and shipping process by combining multiple elements into one kit. This helps expedite orders and reduces errors.
Talk to Alpaka about Outsourcing Your Kitting Services
If you’re interested in outsourcing your kitting and assembly services, call us! At Alpaka, our premier production team has been kitting and assembling projects for over a decade. Our team is highly trained and able to handle your projects with care, accuracy, speed, and efficiency.
Contact us today!
